Scanbox turns your smartphone into portable scanner

Does this sound familiar? Someone asks you to scan a document and send it via email, so you take a photo of it with your smartphone. Easy, right? Well, if you’ve done it before then you know that there has to be enough light, and don’t move or else the image will come out blurry. If you’re looking for an easier (and cheaper) solution, a smart little box designed for this specific purpose has come to Kickstarter seeking funds.

The Scanbox, simply put, is a box with a small hole at the top that acts as a platform for your smartphone allowing you to take photos of documents or whatever else you can fit inside the 12.2 x 12.2 x 9.05-inch frame. As well as simplyfying smartphone scanning, the Scanbox can fold down to the size of a standard folder, making it a good travel companion and easy to store on your desk.

The Scanbox is held together by strong neodymium magnets, so it doesn’t fold under the weight of your smartphone. It’s also compatible with any smartphone that has a rear facing camera, but the creator, Phil Bosua, claims it has been “optimized” for iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

Bosua is seeking only $12,500 of funding for the first production run, packaging, and materials. He has already far exceeded that amount meaning the Scanbox is definitely going to happen.

If you’re looking to snag one and back the project, there’s still a $15 option open to receive the standard Scanbox.There’s also a $25 option for the Scanbox Plus, which includes internal lights and a side enclosure to help reduce lense flare and diffuse light.

The Scanbox is Phil Bosua’s first successful Kickstarter. Bosua’s other project, which sought to digitally revive Golden Age Comics, failed due to a lack of funding.

is definitely the cheapest, as you can download the plans for free or pay $15 for a pre-assembled cardboard version & while I give mad props for the design/diy ethos/discounted nature, I’m unsure how portable/sturdy it would be ~ especially given the elevated platform, I worry a textbook would crush the supports

the scanbooth looks like it would’ve been sturdier (esp as he shows his laptop resting on top) & also would’ve been nice as one could’ve conceivably used it with a tablet, it didn’t come close to hitting it’s funding goal & I haven’t been able to find any other leads on it.

met it’s Kickstarter goal nearly a year ago, but it’s “currently unavailable” & unknown when will be in stock again ~ plus, while it elevates your phone to a proper height & keeps it stable, it does nothing to prevent shadows

appears to be available now, despite failing to make much on Kickstarter; however, it’s upright standing feature appears to make it rather big/bulky & not terribly portable (essential for students like myself who need this to scan textbooks at the library vs paying a ton to buy/rent ~ which I’ve done before just holding the camera & trust me, after doing it once you’ll be ready to invest $30 for an accessory to ensure your 300+ pages weren’t blurry!)

is the most expensive of the bunch & while it’s rather more stylish, it’s also just a stand with no lighting options

Market Researcher

That’s a really impressive research! I’m doing some research for a slightly similar product and I’m not getting my expected results. Would you mind sharing some advice? Did you only used queries on the major search engines? Did you use special rules?

Mark

The real problem with the folks at Scanbox, is they don’t return answers to emails. They are months and months late in filling orders that have been paid for in advance via Kickstarter & they won’t answer numerous emails as to when they anticipate deliver of the prepaid Scanbox orders.